The Joint Norwegian-Russian Fisheries Commission met in Trondheim, Norway yesterday to set the annual quotas for the main fish stocks in the Barents Sea. The two parties agreed that the quotas for cod will be a record high of one million tons in 2013. The fish is estimated to have a catch value of NOK 15 billion (€2 billion).
“The current situation concerning the cod stock in the Barents Sea is fantastic”, Minister of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs Lisbeth Berg-Hansen says in a press release. “Norwegian fishers can catch 107 000 tons more cod next year, something that will create more activity both on sea and on land. This means jobs and value creation”. Norway’s total cod quota for 2013 is 446 740 tons.
The quotas for haddock and capelin will be smaller in 2013 than in 2012 – 200 000 tons for each species. This is done to curb further decline of the stock.
Norway and Russian have annual ecosystem missions to the Barents Sea. After this year’s mission, which was concluded a couple of weeks ago, scientists said that the cods stocks are moving northwards and eastwards.
The Joint Norwegian-Russian Fisheries Commission was also established in 1975 to co-ordinate fishing efforts in the region. The countries have annual quota agreements recommended by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). Norway and Russia have clear targets, reference points for limits on fishing and harvest control rules in place.
Protocol from the 42. session in the Joint Norwegian-Russian Fisheries Commission (in Norwegian)
